NKS TO-DAY?"

"OH, YES, AUNTIE. I SHALL TRY AND PUT IN A ROUND."

"BUT IT'S _POURING_! WHY, I WOULDN'T SEND A DOG OUT TO GOLF IN SUCH
WEATHER."]

* * * * *

DEMOBILISATION.

THE SITUATION MADE CLEAR.

"It is quite clear," said the Adjutant, "that Second-Lieut. X must
stay."

"Of course," said the G.O.C. Demobs, or, as he is more often called,
"Mobbles." "He stays because he doesn't go."

"Yes," said the Adjutant's child full, like the elephant's child, of
insatiable curiosity, "X stays because he is retained for selection
until he is selected for retention, or, to put it more clearly, he
belongs to a class which could go if it had any reason for going and
if it wanted to go and wasn't retained as eligible or wasn't eligible
for retention. In other words he is in one of the two classes--those
who are available to go and those who are eligible to stay."

"Or, conversely," said Mobbles, "those who are available to stay and
those who are eligible to go."

"Exactly," said the Adjutant; "but which?"

"The other," said the Adjutant's child. "Now, if he was only in the
same boat as Y, the position would be different. Y is here because,
though eligible for release, he is available for retention."

"The problem appeared quite simple at first," said the Adjutant, "but
now you've made it all muddy."

"It is simply this," said Mobbles; "is he eligible for retention or
merely available for release? If the former, is he available for
demobilisation, and if the latter, is he eligible for retention? No;
what I mean is just this--Is he here or is he--No; I'll start again.
Is he retained, and if not why not?"

"Exactly," said the Adjutant's child. "Is he under' thirty-seven, and
if so why was he born in 1874, or, to put it quite clearly--"

"Shut up," said the Adjutant. "I want to get it clear before you
confuse me again. We'll start afresh. X is eligible to go because
he joined the Army before 1916. On the other hand, being under
thirty-seven, he must stay."

"That must, I think, be wrong," said Mobbles.

"Quite," said the Adjutant's child.

"Well, then, put it in another way," said the Adjutant. "X can't be
demobilised because there is no reason for his going, and he can't
stay because there is no authority for retaining him. In other words,
to put it quite clearly, as he is being retained he can't go, and as
he is being demobilised he isn't to be retained. Do I make myself
clear?"